Thursday, February 4, 2016

Book Review: The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle

Spinning a page-turning story of literary suspense that begins in the present and unwinds back more than half a century, this unforgettable debut channels the haunting allure of Atonement as its masterfully woven web of lies, secrets, and betrayals unravels to a shocking conclusion.

Veteran con artist Roy spots an obvious easy mark when he meets Betty, a wealthy widow, online. In no time at all, he’s moved into Betty’s lovely cottage and is preparing to accompany her on a romantic trip to Europe. Betty’s grandson disapproves of their blossoming relationship, but Roy is sure this scheme will be a success. He knows what he’s doing.

As this remarkable feat of storytelling weaves together Roy’s and Betty’s futures, it also unwinds their pasts. Dancing across almost a century, decades that encompass unthinkable cruelty, extraordinary resilience, and remarkable kindness, The Good Liar is an epic narrative of sin, salvation, and survival—and for Roy and Betty, there is a reckoning to be made when the endgame of Roy’s crooked plot plays out.

The premise of this book is great - a con artist playing yet another con, this time on an unsuspecting widow who has money. But, things don't go exactly as planned as the plot unfolds to reveal more and more about each character and how their past effects their future.

What I didn't like about the book was the pace. It felt disjointed at times, slow and boring to fast and exciting. With that said it did hold my interest from start to finish. I just wish that the author added a little more spice to a tale that could have been grand, and instead fell a little flat. I didn't find the characters extremely likable and the writing was a little odd in how he used the tenses throughout. But, with that said I did enjoy it.

Nicholas Searle grew up in Cornwall and studied languages at the universities of Bath and Göttingen. After teaching for four years he moved to London to join the Civil Service. He had a hugely enjoyable twenty-three years in a variety of jobs dealing with security matters before going to work in a similar capacity for the New Zealand government in Wellington. In 2011 he returned to the UK, left the Civil Service and began writing in earnest. Nicholas and his wife live in Yorkshire.